Group Ride Etiquette

Ride-outs & Events
21

well as it was my first ride with you guys on Saturday I must say I had a thoroughly good time, and didn’t feel endangered as I have felt in other group rides, lol I felt the ride catered for everyone the nutters including myself had a real good blast at the front and the guys at the back never got lost or left behind, i even managed to make it back up to the front after havin marked a corner and waiting for jimc to pass me. i wasnt a victim of any undertaking, however i will say its very dangerous as not a lot of people expect to be undertaken, i also noticed certain riders went way out to the right to overtake, makin sure they were well clear of the group, which i thought was really thoughtful.

I know there were a few occasions when I may have bombed through some roundabouts while others were a bit hesitant, but I don’t think I scared anyone or took any risks, apologies if I did, and I apologise for my extra loud exhaust, hope it didn’t scare anyone, and at least you knew i was coming, lol, ive tried stuffing sponges in it b4, but they just shoot out, lol

but I think the main thing is to keep the cornerman system, and ride in staggered formation, no undertaking and if you want to overtake move over to the outside of the group and overtake when it is safe to do so

22

I agree with all of the above posts on the whole

In my opinion it is also rude/dangerous to overtake a fellow rider who is in front of you, just as they are about to overtake another vehicle, indicator displayed, mirrors checked, lifesaver already done and heypresto someone you just had a coffee with is under your right armpit

Riding two up does reduce the bikes manouvreability a tad, please bear this in mind I’m the one with ear ache from Debz on the intercom

If anyone feels guilty then yes it was probably you

PS- My riding is far from perfect, so do as I say not as I do

23

hey gray i agree with you but how many do indicate life savers e c t,i aint seen many on ride outs…it seams that the inexperienced riders forget the basics when on a ride out,you can,t read what there up to !

24

Just a quick point, there is a difference between undertaking and keeping up with the flow of traffic. Many a time I was on the inside lane of the A406 keeping to the speed limit and moving past those who felt they were required to remain in the outside lane.

Apologies if this startled anyone, but I dont think I got close to anyone (remember the fastest lane of a multilane carriage way is the inside, the other lanes are merely overtaking lanes.).

Any occurances after Abridge was not me, I wasn’t with the group

25

Undertaking on a dual carriageway doesn’t bother me, it’s the undertaking on a single carriageway that gets me!!

26

Just a teensy-weensy point on what cornermen should do - they should be in gear and ready to take off before the tail-gunner gets to them. If they can see the tail-gunner, he has seen them. That’s the time to get in gear, and be ready to accelerate IN FRONT OF the tail gunner, who may be deliberately holding back traffic behind to allow you to do so. Not to take that gap causes huge confusion for some, and possibly a risk of a rear-ender for the tail-gunner…

I’m used to confusion, so it didn’t worry me, but it happened the wrong way round about 50% of the time on Saturday.

Not a carp, just a pointer to getting things smooth for France. OMG I’m looking forward to that, should be a real blast if we all play together nicely.

27

That be ok then, as my “making progress” on the A406 was slow and safe. Think I was quite smooth for the majority of the ride… makes a change! lol

28

Totally agree Grim, good point.

This was my first ride with you guys and must admit it was a pleasure, extremely well organised. But the undertaking did make me feel a tad uncomfortable, no need for it.

29

I agree with everything that’s been said on here, in particular the importance of staggering in certain circumstances, versus hugging the middle of your lane for no apparent reason. This is a knack taught during CBTs, DASs, A2s etc, but doesn’t have much place during ride-outs.

I think it’s pretty short-sighted not to expect some “spirited progression” in ride-outs as big as the Clacton run, though, purely owing to the spread of experience/ability of the riders in the group. Provided this is done safely, it should be unproblematic.

As far as undertaking goes, I can’t say I saw too much of that myself, but then again, it would depend slightly on each individual’s take on what constitutes undertaking. It will inevitably happen in situations where a large group of bikes come up to something like a roundabout, or a set of lights, though. Others should be aware of this and ready to expect the unexpected. Not everyone eases of the throttle at the same pace, not everyone’s bike has the same level of engine braking etc.

It should also be borne in mind that not everyone is at the same skill level on a ride-out like last Saturday’s. Some people are happy tanking along in a straight line, but will slow right down and go wide through a roundabout. If this happens, it’s pretty likely that the rider behind will steam straight past (to avoid being rear-ended), which ends up in what would otherwise be classified as a potentially risky manouevre.

Where riders do not feel confident that their abilities are up to the standard of those immediately around them, or feel that those around them are riding inappropriately, there are ways of alerting people to this, or removing yourself from the immediate group of riders.

I would encourage everyone to share tips and pointers after a ride-out, as well as speaking to riders they feel are progressing inappropriately within a group. This should be done at the first possible opportunity on a ride-out. Feedback is best directed at the individuals concerned, otherwise riders will not be aware that their behaviour is causing concern

30

Not trying to go against the view of there being a lot of fun in big groups but with most of your posts IMO this backs up my view of only wanting to ride in small groups (under 10). Also, when you have fast/slow bikers together you run the problem of someone falling asleep because of lack of interest and someone else pushing hard to keep up.

The best rides I have been on are 6 or so people all able to keep the same pace. Its all good to have group rides to the coast or for an event but for a fun time out I like to keep it small and keep it fun

31

I’ve heard this quite a lot from various different people, lately. I think there’s something to be said for smaller groups going out together - you get to know (and like) the way certain people ride, after all.

Big group outings are a laugh every once in a while tho.

32

well said.

33

IMO size is not important, it’s how it’s done

34

Good point well made, sir!

35

Small groups are fun, but big ones can be as well. For our St Georges Day ride last year we had a huge group and an equally large cross-section of skills/paces, and the people at the front rode pretty much at their safe-maximum. I remember the smiles and laughs as we stopped every now and then. It all depends on the route, and the leader-man. If the guy at the front is highly capable and fast, then you’re on to a winner. Guy did this last year for us and was a true star. He dealt with the problems on the day with corner-men riding off and we still all got the ride we wanted.

It can only get better

36

I agree with your post Jay and look forward to seeing your pictures over the year covering your group rides

Maybe Im a different sort of rider who likes the 6am ride when everyone else is a sleep and by the time they get out of bed and think about going for a ride we’ve clocked up a good 150+ miles When you have only a small amount of weekend time to ride the bike I think most would agree a 6am-11:30am quick ride is fun

37

there is an option for the faster riders, put them in the back - if the fast riders are delayed for a few mins - what with traffic, etc they are normally playing catch up with the slower riders whole day - as a result you have a bit more of a play!!

38

True story Jay,

Guy/puppy was amazing that day, i hope he will join us again this year…